Throughout much of the early history of television, the number of channels and the amount of broadcast programming from which to select was extremely limited. As a result, because there was limited competition among channels and programming amongst literally millions of television viewers, retention of viewership was not a critical issue in the television industry in its developmental years (although there was certainly still competition among the networks). In the relatively recent modernization of the broadcast industry, however, deregulation of the television and cable industries, combined with the increasing cheapness of producing broadcast content (e.g., costs of producing certain types of new shows—such as reality shows—are remarkably low compared to the cost of producing network sitcoms; advances in technology have drastically reduced the costs of broadcast quality camera equipment; etc.) has resulted in an enormous proliferation of new television and cable channels. With this growth, of course, has come new broadcast content and growing amounts of competition. In short, because there are now literally hundreds of channels available to television viewers in present times (due to cable or satellite technologies, for example), retention of viewership has become an issue of paramount importance.
Similar to the issues with respect to retaining television viewers, it has been difficult for companies to allocate advertising dollars in recent decades. This is due, in large part, to the above-mentioned increasing numbers of competing television channels and programs as well as to the advent of the internet and the availability of search engine ads and advertisements on websites and the like. Moreover, in the past—in conventional television markets, for example—advertisements were paid for and displayed without true knowledge of the make-up of the advertising viewership. As a result, many advertisements are/were displayed or broadcast to viewers entirely outside the demographic for which the advertised goods are/were intended. This non-matching of the advertising to the correct or intended demographic represents a significant waste of advertising dollars.
The inventor of the application for patent contained herein, having recognized each of these drawbacks in the art, has conceived of various technologies, including devices, networks, software applications, and/or methods for addressing one or more (or a combination) of such drawbacks (such invention or inventions not being limited, of course, to embodiments or examples which address any particular one or any specific set of such drawbacks and certainly not all of such drawbacks). More particularly, the applicant for invention herein has conceived of technologies which—at least in certain embodiments—aid in televised broadcast viewer retention and/or aid in the creation and/or selective presentation or delivery of personalized, targeted advertisements (e.g., ads which are delivered to specific users or types of users or demographics and which are therefore more effective and more valuable to the advertiser).
In sum, in view of the above enumerated drawbacks and/or desires for improvements in the art, it is a purpose of the herein described invention to address one or more of such drawbacks and/or desires as well as, or in the alternative, other needs which will become more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the present disclosure.